This is a question to all you politics buffs as Im not savvy myself.
Ive been reading alot of odd news reports recently about china. For example Chinese blocking Ramadam, tightening restrictions on visas, picking fights with Japan and USA, Burmese refugees being thrown out and Chinese rich people seeking residency in foreign countries etc. All this happening when Chinas economy is starting to decline.
So I was wondering, is there a storm coming? Is china bolting down its doors?
Im interested in any info., opinion or fact. Thanks

g
There is a general tightening down, increased monitoring of the internet. The new leadership are all sons and daughters of high ranking party official. the leadership is now hereditary , like all Chinese dynastys it is ossifying and becoming ultra conservative. it will become more inward looking and resist any change.

The new boss is missing. A huge story. Xi Jinping has canceled important meetings and know one knows what is going on. He could be dead or ill. Lots of theories. The new leaders have been purging their enemies and one story is that Xi has been assasinated.

Let's see, we have repression of ethnic minorities, closely monitoring immigration, territorial squabbles, rich Chinese off to lives of luxury overseas, and repression of speech.

Totally without precedent in China. You should seriously be freaking out. The end is nigh. It's just a matter of months before their robo-troopers will be parachuting into your backyard.

Xi Jinping has been missing for almost two weeks now. Meanwhile, there are ample indications that China's economic growth may slow. Yes, these are signs of serious stresses on Chinese system.

As for the nonsense in your second paragraph, you should stick it where the strawmen don't shine.

Economic inconsistency, Political intrigue and potential assassination? It's the end!!!

Look, obviously keep an eye on events, maybe look at selling stocks or something, but suggesting that there is about to be some massive disturbance is a bit much as this kind of behavior is rather par for the course when it comes to China.

Let's see, we have repression of ethnic minorities, closely monitoring immigration, territorial squabbles, rich Chinese off to lives of luxury overseas, and repression of speech.

Totally without precedent in China. You should seriously be freaking out. The end is nigh. It's just a matter of months before their robo-troopers will be parachuting into your backyard.

Xi Jinping has been missing for almost two weeks now. Meanwhile, there are ample indications that China's economic growth may slow. Yes, these are signs of serious stresses on Chinese system.

As for the nonsense in your second paragraph, you should stick it where the strawmen don't shine.

Economic inconsistency, Political intrigue and potential assassination? It's the end!!!

Look, obviously keep an eye on events, maybe look at selling stocks or something, but suggesting that there is about to be some massive disturbance is a bit much as this kind of behavior is rather par for the course when it comes to China.

Of course raise the story, but don't fear-monger.

How about this? I won't fear-monger, if you don't beat your wife.

Obviously, this is a less-than-normal time in China. Added attention and interest are warranted. The OP just asked what's going on? He's right to ask. There's a lot going on.

Let's see, we have repression of ethnic minorities, closely monitoring immigration, territorial squabbles, rich Chinese off to lives of luxury overseas, and repression of speech.

Totally without precedent in China. You should seriously be freaking out. The end is nigh. It's just a matter of months before their robo-troopers will be parachuting into your backyard.

Xi Jinping has been missing for almost two weeks now. Meanwhile, there are ample indications that China's economic growth may slow. Yes, these are signs of serious stresses on Chinese system.

As for the nonsense in your second paragraph, you should stick it where the strawmen don't shine.

Economic inconsistency, Political intrigue and potential assassination? It's the end!!!

Look, obviously keep an eye on events, maybe look at selling stocks or something, but suggesting that there is about to be some massive disturbance is a bit much as this kind of behavior is rather par for the course when it comes to China.

Of course raise the story, but don't fear-monger.

How about this? I won't fear-monger, if you don't beat your wife.

Obviously, this is a less-than-normal time in China. Added attention and interest are warranted. The OP just asked what's going on? He's right to ask. There's a lot going on.

How is it less than normal if Chinas recent history is replete with such incidents.

I agree that in a micro sense its less than normal. However in a big picture sense, it certainly doesn't seem like anything dramatic. What would be dramatic is the sudden nationalization and seizure of major assets and a complete reversal of financial policy. Not some inter-party power play, treating Uighurs like crap, and declaring that "This Island is Chinese".

Planned years in advance, the 18th Party Congress is slated to be the most sweeping government reorganization in a decade, with scores of leaders scheduled to retire. It was still expected to take place next month or soon after in Beijing, where Mr. Xi was to take over as leader from Hu Jintao. The Communist Party has numerous factions, but the overall framework of the transfer was thought to have been mostly ironed out over the past year.

But recent developments, including Mr. Xi’s mysterious cancellation of several public appearances, suggest that may not be the case.

The most obvious sign of discord is that the dates for the congress have not been set. Most political experts here expected it to be held in mid-October, but without an official announcement, some are predicting it will be delayed.

“We hear that the congress will be held in late October or early November,” a security official from southern China said. “Currently we’re planning for that.”

One reason for the delay, the experts say, is what now appears to have been a contentious meeting in early August at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, China. According to the official script, this was to have been the final big meeting before the congress of leaders from the party’s various factions: the military, big state enterprises, descendants of revolutionary families, leaders of critical Communist Party organizations and others. The details of the congress were to be finalized at Beidaihe and the dates announced later in August.

Instead, according to information that is slowly leaking out, the Beidaihe meeting and other sessions beforehand in Beijing were especially tense. “The atmosphere was very bad, and the struggles were very intense,” said a political analyst with connections to the party’s nerve center, the General Office.

. . .

“We thought that these issues would be settled there,” he said, “but they weren’t.”

Given the absence of hard information from the government, it is possible that Mr. Xi’s absence has been caused by something other than illness. The veteran party scholar, who dined late last week with a close family member of Mr. Xi’s, said the relative told him he did not know Mr. Xi to be sick. The scholar maintained that Mr. Xi’s absence was because of the unsettled political situation.

“There is still a struggle; it is not finished,” he said.

I won't go so far to say unprecedented, but I would call the power situation abnormal. On the heels of the Bo Xilai intrigue, yes, this is notable. And then you have the economic woes . . .

Thousands of protesters hurled rocks and bottles at the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Saturday, as tensions between Asia's two largest economies escalated over a row involving a disputed chain of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

The Japanese protests are a way for the population to blow off steam also a diversion from the bitter infighting going on in the party. Xi needs to reform the party get rid of corruption but the corrupt are so entrenched. Hu is pushing back his refusal to step down from the military commitee is a direct attack on Xi's power. When Hu took over he purged Zhangs power base in shanghai, expelled most of Shanghais's party leadership. Xi might not have the support to attack Hu and the party is very divided because of the Bo scandal. Bo represented the move to return China to socialist/Maoist principles. Very popular in the party as the division between the rich and the poor increases. Xi needs the rich, but that will infuriate the masses. Real problems not easily solved. Not unprecedented, Deng had a similar war when he reformed the economy.